


Don't You Want Me, Baby?

by Marittimo



Series: Love Is Never Asking Why [3]
Category: The Lost Boys (Movies)
Genre: Insecurity, Jealousy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:01:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24190993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marittimo/pseuds/Marittimo
Summary: 'This is it then, this is where I die. They're gonna push me down.'~Michael meets with Dwayne and the boys, and they decide to invite him to the hotel.When they stop near the edge of a cliff in the middle of nowhere, Michael is more than aware that Santa Carla is the murder capital of the world.
Relationships: Dwayne/Michael Emerson (Lost Boys)
Series: Love Is Never Asking Why [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1613833
Kudos: 45





	Don't You Want Me, Baby?

**Author's Note:**

> _**L'appel du vide**_ \- (n.) the unexplainable desire to jump when on the edge of a cliff

The sun was setting on the waves, and Michael sighed.  
The whole sky was tinged with orange and hints of violet. It was the kind of sunset you could easily lose yourself into, just staring at the sky until, before you knew it, the sun was gone and the colors with it, but you were left with the comforting sight of the first stars.

It was a breathtaking sight, but Michael wasn't looking at it. Instead, he kept looking around, his eyes restlessly trying to find that one familiar face into the crowd.  
There was no sign of Dwayne and Michael was starting to lose hope. _'Why did I even agree to meet again?'_

Michael lowered his head, frustrated. Deep down he knew well why.  
He had fallen hard for Dwayne from the moment he had first seen him. He wasn't only handsome. No, there was something else about him, and his mysterious behavior only made Michael more interested. He knew he shouldn't expect anything out of this, he'd only be left disappointed and heartbroken. But despite all his best intentions, Michael had really hoped to have a chance with Dwayne.

But Dwayne wasn't even gonna show up, Michael just had to accept it and move on. 

Suddenly, Michael felt a light tapping on his shoulder. As he turned around Dwayne was right behind him, so close to him and so unexpected that Michael had stepped back without realizing it, flinching just a bit.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Dwayne's voice was sweet as he spoke, a soft whisper, as if he was afraid of scaring Michael again.

Michael couldn't understand how he had managed to walk up to him that quietly, but didn't waste any more time thinking about it.  
Seeing Dwayne was such a relief, he wasn't sure Dwayne'd even show up, and Michael had to fight the impulse to throw himself into his arms.

"Hey, Dwayne! Don't worry, I just... I didn't hear you coming."

Dwayne smirked. "Nobody ever does."  
There it was, that spark in his eyes again, an excitement of some sort, and for a moment Michael lost himself just staring into those dark eyes, admiring the man in front of him.

 _'No sunset could ever compare.'_ , Michael decided.

Looking behind him, Michael could see the three blonds waiting, distant enough to give them a semblance of privacy.  
As Michael looked at them, the tall one waved at him. The other two laughed, then smiled at him. Michael smiled back, genuine. They looked way friendlier and more approachable than the night before. Maybe Michael had made a mistake in judging them so quickly.

"We were wondering if you'd like to go for a ride with us." As he spoke, Dwayne started walking towards his gang, and Michael could only follow.

"Sure, where are we going?"  
The blonds must have been within earshot, cause it was the short curly one to answer his question.

"We thought we'd show you our place, Mike. How does that sound?"  
"Cool!" Michael answered, nodding enthusiastically. "I'd like that."

The blond smiled smugly. "Sweet. I'm Marko." He introduced himself.  
"Paul." The rocker offered, leaning towards him and giving him a friendly pat on the back.

The last one walked up to him too, holding out his hand. "And I'm-"  
"David," Michael interrupted him while shaking his hand, "I remember."  
David smiled at that, apparently proud of having made an impression already.

"Why don't you go get your bike, Michael? We parked over there." Dwayne said, gesturing to where their bikes were. "We'll come to you and show you the way."

Michael nodded, absentmindedly.  
Thinking about it now, Michael didn't know if it was wise to go with them, he had just met them after all. And wasn't this the _murder capital of the world_?  
He had no way to know they wouldn't hurt him, kill him.

The blonds had already started walking away, but Dwayne was still next to him, looking concerned. He rested his hand on Michael's shoulder, and Michael found the touch very reassuring. He leaned more into it as Dwayne spoke.  
"Is everything alright?" He sounded genuinely concerned.

When Michael looked up and met Dwayne's eyes he felt all his fears vanishing.  
Somehow, Michael knew he'd always be safe with him.  
He smiled up at Dwayne. "Sure, let's go."

~

" _Woah_ ," was the only thing Michael could say as they arrived, "you'll have to wait for me, guys. There's no way this old clunker can keep up with your bikes."  
They looked incredible and quite expensive as well: shining, powerful, and definitely fast.

"Don't worry, Mikey." Paul said, laughing. "We're not gonna leave you behind."

Michael nodded, still not knowing if he could trust them.  
But when they led the way for him, Michael followed.

~

_'Dwaynie, your boy is terrified.'_

Dwayne rolled his eyes, more than aware of Michael's fear. He could smell it all over him, and didn't know how to reassure him.

 _'He's just a little concerned, that's all.'_ Dwayne said, dismissive. _'And don't act like you weren't, Marko.'_ He added, smirking.

_'He's got a point, you know.'_

_'Shut up, Paul.'_ Marko answered, _'We haven't even killed in front of him yet!'_

 _'Well, now_ he _'s got a point.'_

Dwayne glanced at him and Paul got the message immediately.

 _'_ "Shut up, Paul" _okay, got it.'_

~

The ride was particularly uneventful given that Michael had half expected them to speed up at some point and try to race him, but they had kept their word and had ridden slowly enough for him to keep up.

But Michael had noticed how Dwayne had been looking at Paul and Marko as they rode, how they seemed to be able to communicate with glances alone, and was suddenly jealous of that connection. 

They parked near the edge of a cliff in the middle of nowhere, then got off their bikes.

Nearby, Michael could see only a wooden ladder leading down, framed by _danger_ signs and _do not enter_ s, and he grew even more suspicious. Hadn't they said they'd bring him to their place? There was no way anyone could live out there.

Still confused, Michael got off of his bike too and walked up to the edge of the cliff, as if drawn to the inherent danger of the void.  
As he looked down he found the abyss staring right back at him, and he was suddenly aware of his own mortality.

He felt a hand resting on his shoulder and panicked.

_'This is it then, this is where I die. They're gonna push me down.'_

Michael turned around and was face to face with Dwayne. But Dwayne wasn't looking at him, rather beyond him, towards the coastline.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Only then did he turn to face Michael, staring in his eyes as he spoke, and Michael felt Dwayne _knew_ what he had thought.

"You don't need to be afraid, Michael." he added, and Michael nodded, still too shocked to talk, then turned to face the ocean.

Dwayne was right, it was a beautiful sight.  
In the distance, Michael could see the faint lights of the boardwalk and, closer, some bonfires lightened up the beach.

"Yeah, it is..."

Suddenly, he felt compelled to let go of his panic and just focus on the sounds that surrounded him. The waves crashing on the cliffs under him, the music coming from the boardwalk, the shouts around the fires. His own beating heart, starting to slow down as he relaxed, and the footsteps approaching behind him.  
Footsteps. _'_ _Right, the boys.'_

When Michael looked over he caught Paul and David looking at him concerned, but both looked away as soon as they noticed he saw them.  
Did he still look that scared? _'God, they must think I'm crazy or something.'_

"Don't worry, Michael." David told him, walking up to him with a reassuring smile. "We won't judge. We all know how scary it is, looking down for the first time."

"Boys, you coming or what?" Looking down the ladder where the voice had come from, Michael noticed Marko had already gone down and now held a lightened-up torch.  
It made sense, Michael realized. Whatever that place was, there sure wasn't electricity down there.

"After you." David said, and gestured towards the ladder.

Michael furrowed his brows, skeptical. "Why does this look like it'll break under me at any moment?"

"No need to be afraid," Dwayne heartened him, "we use it every day. Just watch your steps."

Michael was still reluctant, but he trusted them and went down, the three of them coming right behind him.  
Funny, the rungs didn't seem to crack under _their_ weight.

As he reached the ground, Marko gestured for him to follow.

When they entered it was pitch dark except for the limited light of the torch, but the boys seemed to have no problem with that. In fact, he could hear them walking around easily.  
When Marko lightened up some oil drums and Michael could finally see what the place looked like, his jaw dropped to the floor.

"Not bad, uh?" David asked him, leaning on his shoulder from behind him.

"Wow. You guys _live_ down here?" They nodded, smiling at his incredulity.

"What even is this place?" David chuckled at the question, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and guiding him around the hall, always so proud of showing off their place.

"This was the hottest resort in Santa Carla about 85 years ago. Too bad they built it on the fault. In 1906 when the big one hit San Francisco the ground opened up and this place took a header right into the crack." David talked as if he had been there. _'How does he know all this stuff?'_ "So now it's ours." He concluded.

 _'Alright, this place must have been the main hall.'_ Michael realized. _'But what about the rest? There must be more, right?'_

Michael couldn't picture them actually sleeping there, all four of them could barely fit on the couch just sitting.

"Of course, it expands." David offered, as if knowing exactly what Michael must have been wondering.  
"The structure has merged almost completely with the preexisting cave. We just found spots where it was safe to stay without any danger of further collapsing, moved some furniture around, bought what we couldn't find," and by ' _bought_ ' Michael bet he meant ' _steal_ ', "and got some rooms for ourselves."

"So what do you think, Mike? You like it?" Marko asked him, holding out his arm. After a moment a pigeon landed on him and started cooing at him.  
Michael took a good look around. There was a lot to take in: surfboards, candles, curtains, pillars, a fountain. _'Is that a human skull?'_  
Still, somehow everything seemed to fit perfectly in there.

"It's great, guys. Incredible." Michael nodded, still looking at the walls in awe. The graffiti had caught his attention immediately.  
"I told you he'd like it!" Paul said with a wide grin.

"I take it you guys like Morrison then?" Michael asked pointing to his image on the wall

Paul turned around immediately, a sparkle of renewed interest in his eyes.  
The other three groaned, they knew well what that look meant. When Paul started to talk about music nothing could ever stop him.

"Hell yeah." Paul replied, as if it was obvious. "You too?"  
"Of course!" Michael seemed offended Paul would ever think otherwise.

The two of them started discussing lyrics, symbolism, and poetry, and Dwayne lost himself just watching Michael talking passionately, his eyes lightening up as he spoke.

~

To the other three's relief, the topic changed and all of them hung out for what felt like days to Michael, just talking about trivial stuff, getting to know each other a little bit more, stopping occasionally if the radio played something good enough. Dwayne sat next to him the entire time, and by the end of the night he had managed to wrap his arm around Michael's shoulder. It felt nice, Michael decided, and he had moved closer to him, smiling up to him.

At one point Michael looked down at his watch and had to do a double-take. It was almost 5.

"It was a great night guys," he said, already standing up, "but I really have to go now. It's so late it's early, and if I get caught my mum's gonna kill me."

"Don't worry, Mikey." Paul said, chuckling. "We get it."

Dwayne reached out for Michael's hand with his own and looked up to him. "See you tomorrow?"  
They all looked at him anxiously, almost expecting him to say no.  
Michael smiled. "Count on it."

~

Michael got out and stopped for a moment to look at the ocean, alone with his thoughts.

"Hey, Michael. Wait!" Michael turned around at the voice. Dwayne had followed him carrying a torch.  
"It's too dark outside, I thought I'd light the way for you." He explained. 

Michael smiled genuinely, moved by that caring gesture. _'That's so kind of him.'_  
They walked up the stairs side by side, and Michael blushed when their hands brushed.

They had reached his bike now, but Michael didn't want to go just yet.  
"It was a great night, Dwayne. I... I really had a lot of fun."

Dwayne smiled. "Me too."

"I'm sorry for what happened before. I was- well, you know, I... And the guys, they... They were nice and all but I just, I didn't know if they'd-"  
"Michael." He stopped his rambling and looked at Dwayne. "Don't worry so much. They like you just fine."

"Yeah?"  
"They do."  
"Okay, good."  
"What do _you_ think about them?"

Michael thought about it for a second before answering.  
"I really like them, too. They were so nice to me! That's why I'm surprised David seemed so..." Michael struggled to find the right word. " _aggressive_ yesterday. He was a completely different person today."

 _'Maybe he was jealous or something.'_ Michael thought.  
He hoped not. Michael knew he couldn't compete with David.

"I know he comes off as very intense, but he's really just protective of me." Dwayne reassured him.  
Michael gave him an unconvinced look. "If you say so."

 _'Oh Michael, how insecure you can be.'_ Dwayne shook his head, smiling softly.  
Michael thought that was a smile worth dying for.

"Don't worry, Michael. He's not jealous if that's what you're thinking. Besides, he and Marko are a thing."  
"Oh." Michael hadn't seen that coming at all.

 _'I just have to worry about Paul, then. They look so close...'_ He had seen them interact only briefly, but there was something in their complicity that made Michael question if what they had was more than just friendship.

"And you don't need to worry about Paul either."  
"I'm not, I just-" Michael started, defensive. Dwayne looked at him unconvinced and Michael gave up. "Was I really that obvious?"

"I'm just good at reading people." Dwayne said with a reassuring smile. "But really, don't worry about him. He's my best friend, and he's like a brother to me. They all are."  
Relieved, Michael left out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Besides, I wouldn't have invited you here if I wanted him."  
Michael gasped. Was Dwayne implying what he thought he was implying?  
"Do _you_ want me, Michael?"

For a moment, Michael didn't react and Dwayne started worrying. _'I fucked up, I fucked up, I fucked up.'_  
"I'm sorry if it seems too sudden," Dwayne was quick to apologize, "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. Please, forget I said anything-"

"I do."

Now it was Dwayne's turn to be surprised. "You... you do?"  
Michael nodded and cupped Dwayne's face with his hand, Dwayne still looking at him shocked. "And I'd really like to kiss you, if you'd let me."

Michael didn't wait for an answer, wouldn't waste any more time now that he knew Dwayne wanted this too.

Dwayne wasn't much taller than him, but still Michael had to stand on the tip of his toes to reach Dwayne's lips.  
Dwayne had been taken by surprise, but was quick to respond to the kiss. If he'd had a pulse he was sure his heart would have skipped a beat. This was everything Dwayne had wanted since he first saw the brunette, and it was finally happening.

Tentatively, Dwayne let his hands slide down to Michael's hips, and Michael tightened his grip on Dwayne's neck.  
They parted after a while, one of them still needed to breathe after all.

"Was this what you wanted, Dwayne?" Michael asked him, his voice playful and sweet.  
Dwayne let his hand run through his hair, and looked down at him affectionately. "Yes, baby. So good."

Michael froze for a moment, and Dwayne was quick to realize his mistake.  
"Too much too soon?" He really could have done without the pet name, he realized.

Michael kissed him again, even more passionately this time.  
Nobody had ever called him that, and Michael cherished it, it made him feel special and wanted. Important.

"I loved it." He admitted.   
Dwayne sighed, relieved.

"I really need to go now... I'm sorry." He slowly stepped back.  
"It's ok, don't worry." Dwayne assured him.

Michael got on his bike and turned to face Dwayne one last time.

"Goodnight, Dwayne."  
"Goodnight, _baby_."

Michael left then, a proud smile on his face, knowing that no one could ever take that happiness from him.

**Author's Note:**

> Title comes from The Human League's song.  
> The painting is Caspar David Friedrich's _'Der Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer'_


End file.
